Science Daily August 4, 2021
Researchers in Japan designed graphene-diamond junctions that can mimic the characteristics of biological synapses and key memory functions, opening the doors for next-generation image sensing memory devices. They demonstrated optoelectronically controlled synaptic functions using junctions between vertically aligned graphene (VG) and diamond. The fabricated junctions mimic biological synaptic functions when stimulated with optical pulses and exhibit other basic brain functions such as the transition from short-term memory (STM) to long-term memory (LTM). The VG-diamond arrays underwent redox reactions induced by fluorescent light and blue LEDs under a bias voltage. The researchers attributed this to the presence of differently hybridized carbons of graphene and diamond at the junction interface, which led to the migration of ions in response to the light and in turn allowed the junctions to perform photo-sensing and photo-controllable functions like those performed by the brain and retina. The VG-diamond arrays surpassed the performance of conventional rare-metal-based photosensitive materials in terms of photosensitivity and structural simplicity. The study paves the way for optically controllable brain-mimicking computers better information-processing capabilities than existing computers…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Carbon, Volume 182, September 2021, Pages 669-676.Â